Were your plans for 2020 derailed by the year that’s been? Mine too, twenty PLENTY of them! And with only a third of the year left, it’s time to get back on track. So, dust the cobwebs from your dreams, and turn your Netflix-shaped eyes towards the action steps required to reach your goals.

But reaching your goals is going to require that you get your mind around a change in perspective or thinking, that then will need to be supported by some actions of change. I explain it all in this week’s episode.

And so, here’s a challenge for you as we race towards 2020’s finishing line - If there’s something you want to change, get your thinking right and change it. But just choose ONE thing. And… GO!

Show Notes

• [02.14] A challenge to bring you closer to living your best life.

• [03.34] The power of building a plan of action:

  • Prioritise ONE thing

  • Get an accountability partner or group

  • Don't focus on what you need to DO, focus on how you need to THINK
    
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  Quotes

  "There was something that was common for all of them.  It all required getting their mind around a change in perspective or thinking, that needed to be supported by some actions of change." - Lisa Linfield

  Transcript

  Hello everybody and welcome to Working Women’s Wealth.

  Before we get into today’s episode, I wanted to let you know that I’ve been convinced to run another Brave to Change course starting 23 September.  So if you’re wanting to step-change something in your life without needing a ton of willpower, my 10 week live online sessions for a small group of people start 23 September.  Just the thing you need to finish this year strong!  Go to my website LisaLinfield.com and register now.  It’s based on the brain hacks I describe in my book, Deep Grooves, and you’ll get to work personally with me through the live interactions.

  I don’t know about you, but 2020 has been a little bit of a shocker.  My last 6 weeks have been seriously challenging and I’ve decided that I’m going to make sure I’m awake this new years eve to ensure that 2020 leaves and doesn’t try to sneak in the back door and stay with us through 2021!!!!

  I was reflecting this weekend that we really only have 3 and a half months until the end of the year… and whilst this year seems to have been absolutely exhausting, there are still some big things that I need to get done before it happens… things that got derailed through Covid, homeschooling, and the chaos of the last 6 months.

  This week I had the privilege of doing financial coaching with some unbelievable humans.  And when we were discussing the challenges in their personal finances currently, I mentioned that it’s 3.5 months until the end of the year, and set them a challenge to sort their finances out in this time.  Many paused and thought, and decided that it feels the right amount of time to make a sprint for the finish line.  Long enough to make a real impact and put in place the right habits, but short enough and with a definite endpoint of finishing by Christmas that it felt doable.

  Some were in debt, some needed to start investing, some needed to have conversations and plan for retirement, some had some tough conversations with parental dependents that needed to happen.

  But there was something that was common for all of them.  It all required getting their mind around a change in perspective or thinking, that needed to be supported by some actions of change.

  What amazed me in our conversations was the power of building a plan of action.  Of having people to share your thoughts with, and a little bit of additional knowledge to power their thinking.  Each one walked out the room with a spring in their step and a sense of optimism that they could reach their goal.

  So as I reflected on challenging them to get their money on track, I spent some time thinking about what I would do.

  Prioritise ONE thing

  As I teach in my book and on my course, one of the big game changers in life is to prioritise ONE thing to focus on.

  Whilst my own list is very long of all that needs to get done, and changed, at the beginning of this year, I set my one thing as my health.

  And I haven’t done very well on that since Covid hit.

  I went into Covid having done a gut biome test in the US.  This meant that I was really armed with a personalised plan for what I could do to nourish my gut.  I highly recommend it as the results blew my mind as they were tailored to me.  Trendy things like kefir and kombucha were out, but my list of super foods included bok choi and lamb.  I did well for a well, but then I took my eye off the ball as I struggled to cope with the chaos of lockdown.

  I did have my secret tool – my bare minimum of twice a week training sessions – firstly by app, and then in person.  So it wasn’t terrible.

  But, my one thing to focus on is to change my thinking.  To break old thinking habits when it comes to my eating, and my choices when I am tired… which is my big trigger for falling off the wagon.

  Get an accountability partner or group

  I have an amazing new accountability partner in my health journey.  My daughter, Jess.

  Jess has struggled with her digestion since birth – and I think lock down has made it worse.  She’s always played team sports, and exercise is a cornerstone of helping digestion.  And we’re now in a position where we need to really tackle this before drastic measures are needed – and before she heads to her new high school in January.

  So, because of my focus on Jess, we’ve had a delicious smoothy each morning, which I wake up just a little earlier each day to make sure that we both get our smoothy in.

  Whether it’s changing your health, your money, your relationships, your work, or kick starting a side hustle – having a person or group of people you can chat to daily or weekly are crucial.

  I launched my book, and two weeks later got hit with the first of many really tough things that have happened over the last 6 weeks.  Without my weekly book mastermind group that keeps me focussed, I would totally have fallen off the wagon.  But just showing up, listening to their marketing strategies and business development opportunities has helped me to keep in the game.

  Don’t focus on what you need to DO, focus on how you need to THINK

  I know that it’s truly a shocker when I say that my biggest thing on my health I’m focusing on right now is journaling my thinking.  A shock because I’ve just released a book, Deep Grooves, on changing your thinking.

  But I think so often we all fall short to quick fixes.  In the beginning of the year, I was thinking ‘If I just eat according to the list of my micro biome test, I’ll sort my health out’.

  And, it’s true, I did feel so much better.  But I dropped the ball on actively working on my thinking.  When I found myself finalising the editing and launching of my book, home schooling my kids, and dealing with the market crash for my financial planning business, I found myself tired, frustrated, and low on energy.  And whenever I get tired, my eating goes pear shaped.

  This last month has been crazy.  But I know that if I’m going to be able to get through the next 3.5 months, I need fantastic energy and my tummy needs to be healthy.  So the last ten days, I’ve been concentrating on my thinking

  As I teach in my book – our conscious willpower only processes at 50 bits per second.  But our subconscious processes at 11 million… so I need to work out what I’m assuming, what is triggering me, and what am I avoiding or procrastinating.  Once I understand my underlying identity statements, I can see how wonky my thinking is when it comes to food.

  Just today I found myself with a very hard piece of work ahead of me.  And, almost on autopilot, I reached for some chocolate. 

  When I stopped and went through my thinking, I saw that I was assuming the chocolate would give me the boost of energy that I needed to get the work done.  But when I used some thinking tools to dig deeper, I realised that even if I did get the boost of energy, it wouldn’t help.  What was really going on is that I’m nervous about making a recommendation for a client.

  No chocolate will help that.  No boost of energy.  I just need to back myself, my research, my experience and knowledge, and write the recommendation.

  So I grabbed my water, went back to my desk, and opened my document.

  So friends, what is it you need to focus on for the next 3.5 months to make sure you finish this crazy year strong?  The one thing that will bring you closer to living your best life?  Like me, it could be your health – or, like my financial coaching clients, it could be something about your wealth.  One coachee has set a goal to sell one thing to one person once in her side hustle.

  If there’s something you want to change, I suggest you join me and an amazing group of humans once a week from the 23rd of September on my live course, Brave to Change which is based on my book, Deep Grooves.  Just head to my website, LisaLinfield.com, and you can sign up now before we run out of space.

  Take care, have a great week.  I’m Lisa Linfield and this is Working Women’s Wealth.